


Brand New Start of It

by Ltlbird



Category: Veronica Mars (TV), Veronica Mars - All Media Types
Genre: F/M, Season/Series 02 Spoilers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-04-29
Updated: 2014-04-29
Packaged: 2018-01-21 08:04:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,818
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1543607
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ltlbird/pseuds/Ltlbird
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>How Veronica spent her post-graduation New York vacation.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Brand New Start of It

**Author's Note:**

> This is an old story that I am posting here now that I have an AO3 account. It's fluffy, schmoopy LoVe, with a tiny bit of Keith thrown in, and it picks up where the S2 finale leaves off.

"Miss?"

Despite the formal address, Veronica could tell the woman was just about out of politeness. And patience. With one last look at her phone and a sigh, Veronica shouldered her carryon and walked down the jetway.

"I'm going to kill him," she muttered, as she buckled her seatbelt. Though she was actually more worried than angry. The plane to New York had started boarding, with no sign of her father, and now, as the flight crew prepared for departure, still no Keith. Veronica's mind kept flopping back and forth between, "what if he's hurt or in danger?" and "how much trouble could he get into in an hour?" Right now, hurt or in danger was winning, and she was just about to unbuckle her seat belt and get off the plane when her cell rang.

"Where the hell are you?" she snapped. Without the worry to keep it in check, her temper was on the verge of exploding.

"Veronica, I am so sorry, but something's come up." Her dad's voice sounded genuinely contrite, but she wasn't convinced yet - her ability to put on a facade hadn't come entirely from her mother, after all. "It should only take a couple days," he went on, "and I'll meet you in New York as soon as I can. I promise I will make it up to you. I'll take you to that weird photography gallery in Greenwich Village. I might even take you shopping…" Keith's words were flying out so fast she could barely understand him, but she could hear the touch of a groan that accompanied that last bit.

Veronica knew whatever was keeping him had to be important, and probably very, very lucrative, or he would be sitting beside her right now, cracking jokes about how many pairs of black knee socks he had packed to wear with his sandals and reading the safety card in his pathetic attempt at a Long Island accent. Her anger was quickly ebbing away. Truth be told, she was just relieved that he was okay… the pain of the night she'd thought he was gone for good was still too fresh. But she sure as hell wasn't going to let him off the hook that easily.

She cut him off as she spotted a flight attendant stalking down the aisle, glowering at Veronica's cell phone. "We'll have to negotiate my stood-up-for-graduation-trip-by-negligent-father fee later, Dad. Vicki Barr here looks like she's going to shove my head in a used barf bag if I don't turn off my electronic device and ensure that my seat back is in its fully upright and locked position."

"Okay, honey. Call me as soon as you get to New York," he chuckled, though there was a wistful note in his voice.

"God, Dad, you'd think I was flying across the country all by myself or something. Don't worry, they gave me some crayons, and some apple juice, and my very own pilot's pin!"

"I love you, Veronica. Be safe."

She was embarrassed to admit it, but that took all the sauciness out of her. "I love you too." She clicked off the phone, causing the flight attendant to finally stop hovering, and settled back into her seat.

*************************************************

The next morning, after a huge room service breakfast (she was already beginning to understand why Logan had never moved out of the Grand), she stopped at the front desk to get directions to the MoMA. Veronica knew the concierge was just trying to be helpful when he pointed out that the World Trade Center site was only a few blocks away from the hotel, so she managed to keep herself from snapping at him. Still, her hands were in fists, and her nails dug into her palms as she walked out onto the street. She didn't need any reminders of exploding planes and people flinging themselves from tall buildings; her nightmares weren't exactly letting her forget.

Luckily, the hustle and bustle of the city swept her up easily. As she walked the crowded streets, packed with serious people in somber grays and blacks, she realized she felt... comfortable. She fit in better here than in Neptune, with its catty smiles and sunwashed pastels. For a while, at the museum, she immersed herself in the exhibits, and felt calmed by the stark, white walls between the art. Until she came across a sculpture that looked like an overgrown child with deep, sad pits for eyes. With a jolt, she flashed back to Cassidy's face, just before he stepped into the salt-tinged air, and it was hard for her to breathe.

She kept herself together while she made her way outside and dialed Logan's number. The tears started when the call went straight to voicemail, and intensified when she realized that, since she had just spoken to her father that morning, Keith would worry if she called him again.

She tried getting some retail therapy, but even after using her dad's credit card to buy an awesome satchel with a studded strap (perfect for carrying her books around campus next year), she was still feeling out of sorts. She made her way to Central Park, where the shady paths - and lack of palm trees - were refreshing. After clicking photos, she spotted a sign for the Central Park Zoo. Maybe she could find some more interesting subjects there than the squirrels she'd been focusing on.

She was zooming in on a polar bear mid-yawn when her phone rang.

"What are you up to, city slicker?"

The sound of Logan's voice made her heart thump . She still hadn't quite gotten used to the fact that they were back together, that the purr in his voice was directed at her without an iota of sarcasm. As the polar bear turned and lumbered away, she replied, "Ogling another guy's ass."

"You mean it's true? A guy really _can_ get buns of steel from a rigorous plan of subway riding, street corner hot dogs, and a desk job? And all this time I thought surfing was the way to go." She could practically hear his smirk.

"No fair making me think of a wetsuit clinging to your rear,when you're a whole continent away!" She knew she was feeding his ego, but by now she also knew that Logan's arrogance was like a garish balloon, big and bold, but filled with emptiness.

"Apparently absence makes more than the _heart_ grow fonder." he quipped. "I am starting to see your trip in a whole new light." They continued to banter as Veronica wandered around the zoo, and she found herself relaxing as she described what she saw to him. Eventually she made her way into the darkness of the penguin exhibit.

"They remind me of you, stumbling around in your tux after drinking too much at the Winter Formal after-party," she teased. When she got no response, she wondered if she'd gone too far. She glanced down at the phone: call ended. Hoping it was a bad signal, not Logan hanging up on her, she turned to head for the exit and crashed into the body next to her.

"I'm sor-" she began, but the words caught in her throat as arms wrapped around her waist. She looked up into Logan Echolls' eyes, which somehow managed to twinkle even in the dimness.

"You're in New York, Veronica," he laughed as her look of surprise melted into a wide smile. "You're supposed to mace someone who gets in your personal space, not apologize." Before she could reply, his mouth was on hers, and she eagerly kissed him back, still managing to land a light punch on his bicep.

After a few moments, Veronica could feel the glares of parents boring into her, as they herded their children past the amorous couple. She pulled away from Logan just a bit, "I think we're in danger of being kicked out for corrupting innocent youth."

"You may be young, but you aren't entirely innocent." She couldn't help but giggle as he grabbed her hand and led her to the door, wiggling his ass suggestively. They settled on a bench just outside.

"What are you doing here?" she asked.

"Surprising you!" he responded quickly, but she noticed his smile dim just a touch. He rushed on, "I needed some time away from the Grand, and with my d... Aaron's funeral, the paparazzi were everywhere in Neptune, and I thought you might want some company."

Ouch. That shed a new light on her own feelings. Sure, she'd been lonely, but Logan had been alone, too, with the same horrible memories and the added problem of tabloid reporters and photographers hounding his every move. She wrapped her arms around him and burrowed her head into his shoulder, "You thought right. Thanks for coming." She could feel some of the tension leave his body as he held her tightly against his chest.

***************************************************

They had dinner, Logan's treat, at a quiet, unpretentious restaurant, where rustic tables were paired with velvet drapes. Logan confessed quietly over their profiteroles that it had been his mother's favorite place in Manhattan. At a loss for words, Veronica squeezed his hand and kissed away the smudge of chocolate sauce at the corner of his mouth. They grabbed coffee before strolling through Times Square, hand in hand. Logan comically begged her to let him check out the peep shows nearby, but followed the quip by telling her how beautiful she looked in the neon lights.

"I should have believed my color consultant when she recommended fluorescent green!" she joked, hoping to sound casual, though her throat was tight, and she could feel a blush blending with the colorful glow on her cheeks.

Back at the hotel, they explored each other's bodies without the distraction of a curfew, or the fear that Keith would walk in on them. Later, curled in Logan's arms and reveling in the knowledge that she could stay there until morning, Veronica marveled at how secure she felt. Logan was impulsive and unpredictable - just what she would have said she didn't need. Only apparently she did. Being with him should remind her of the terror and hopelessness of graduation night, but instead, she felt safer in his arms than anywhere else. Who would have guessed that Logan Echolls would become the surest thing in her life, more certain than even her father, apparently? Her father. That was a sobering thought.

Propping herself up on one arm, and running her fingers through Logan's hair, Veronica had to make sure he knew what he was getting into. "You realize, if he finds out about this, my dad is going to kill you? I might get off with being grounded until osteoporosis sets in, but you? For you, I think he might have to drag the rack out of storage." Her father had been remarkably understanding about their budding -- re-budding? --relationship, but playing house with her boyfriend in a hotel room was a capital crime in Keith's book.

Logan's eyes opened wide in exaggerated fear, then narrowed, "The one time I get you alone, away from your dad and his network of cronies, bugs, and hidden cameras, and you have to bring him up." Veronica's chagrin lasted until she noticed the smile tugging at the corners of his mouth as he brushed a stray lock of hair from her forehead. "Well, if my life is over, I better start making the most of it!" A saucy retort was on the tip of her tongue, but his nibble at her earlobe made her lose her train of thought.

*****************************************

They weren't about to let the fear of Keith spoil their time together, but they were careful. They avoided entering or leaving the hotel together, never ordered room service, used Logan's camera for pictures (except for a few that Veronica took of herself, so she'd have something to show Keith of the time before he arrived), and Logan actually managed to keep his mouth shut when Keith called. Veronica figured all that was a small price to pay for enjoying Logan's company, and seeing the shadows start to lift a bit from the depths of his eyes.

She convinced him to go to the Cooper-Hewitt Museum, but only after agreeing to spend a couple of hours at Nintendo World. One of his sarcastic comments started a splash fight while they were rowing in Central Park, and they both ended up drenched. They even managed to snag tickets to Avenue Q. Veronica probably wouldn't have seen the show alone, and she certainly would not have gone with her dad. She did have to put up with her boyfriend's lascivious winks during the racier numbers, but they both laughed so hard at the performance that they could barely stand for the ovation.

Finally, Keith called with his flight information, and Logan reluctantly made arrangements to return to Neptune. Veronica knew that the hotel bed would feel awfully big without him sharing it, but she would be glad to see her father. She wasn't sure whether she felt more guilty for wishing Keith's mysterious case had lasted a couple more days or for counting the minutes to his arrival -- and Logan's departure. Logan's flight was scheduled to leave just a couple of hours after Keith's landed, so Veronica told her dad she would meet him at the airport, claiming she wanted to get a head start on scolding him. Logan and Veronica lingered near the ticket counters as long as they dared, and she kept breaking away from his kisses to quadruple check the posted arrival time for her dad's flight. They startled, then embraced even more tightly when they heard the announcement that the plane had landed.

"I'll see you in a few days," Logan whispered, as he smoothed her rumpled t-shirt, picked up her purse, and placed it on her shoulder. "I must get back to my real life of drunken debauchery." Veronica didn't find that entirely funny, given his history, but seeing the light in his eyes and the bounce in his step, she was pretty sure there wasn't a kernel of truth behind his words. He blew her an overly dramatic kiss as he walked away. She watched until he was out of sight, then headed for the escalator to meet Keith at baggage claim.

*****************************************

"Damn kids, think they can get away with anything. Like they're so much smarter than their elders." Keith muttered, drawl and all, even though there was nobody nearby to hear him. He stepped away from the kiosk he'd been standing behind and quickly descended the stairs to join the other passengers from the flight on which Veronica thought he was arriving.

Seeing Logan and Veronica together at the airport hadn't been a surprise. Not since he'd been notified that one of Logan's credit cards had been used to book a flight. Keith told himself he'd only put a trace on the card because he was concerned for the young man, who had been through so much in the past couple years -- not because he wanted to spy on his daughter. Sometime in the past couple of months, Keith's assessment of Logan Echolls had changed from trouble to troubled. Though all of his "protective father" lights and sirens were going off at the thought of what the two teenagers might have been up to while unsupervised in New York... he found that he wasn't really angry. Veronica's calls from Manhattan had sounded distinctly perkier after Logan's arrival. And the young man, uppity though he was, had come through for Veronica that night on the roof. So, maybe it was better that she'd been with Logan these past few days, rather than alone. Maybe. But he sure as hell wasn't going to let them know he felt that way. Better to just pretend he didn't know a thing.

"Dad!" Veronica shouted, breaking him out of his train of thought. When she ran up and hugged him, Keith was gratified that she hadn't spent all of her embraces on her boyfriend.

Keith looked about him suspiciously, "I was expecting DSS and the police to be here to arrest me for child neglect!"

"Nah, there are worse punishments than the Big House, Pops," his daughter replied, with a mischievous sparkle in her blue eyes.

"Does the hotel know you've converted the room to a torture chamber, then?"

Veronica just laughed as she helped put his bags in the trunk of the cab. It always amazed him that her laugh, at age 18, made his chest swell in exactly the same way her two year-old giggle had. He couldn't resist wrapping her in another bear hug.

"I missed you, kiddo."

"I missed you, too, Dad."

Any lingering resentment of Logan's clandestine rendezvous with Veronica faded away. With years of interrogation and investigation behind him, Keith knew to his core that she was telling the truth.


End file.
